First of all, we want to say a massive thank you. The sheer demand for our bookings is something we’re incredibly grateful for, and it’s all down to your amazing support.
However, this popularity means that when new slots are released, our website gets thousands of visitors all at once. To put it simply, it’s like having an entire concert’s worth of people trying to get through a single door at the same time.
To keep things fair and, most importantly, to stop the website from crashing under the pressure, we use a virtual waiting room system. This short guide explains how it works and what you can do to have the best possible experience on booking day.
How the Waiting Room Works
Think of it as a digital queue. Instead of the website crashing and becoming a frustrating free-for-all, the waiting room organises everyone into an orderly, first-in, first-out line.
When you join, you are given a unique “digital ticket” that holds your exact place in the queue. The system then lets a steady number of people through to the booking page at a time, ensuring the site runs smoothly for those who are making a booking.
We use it for two simple reasons:
- Fairness: It ensures everyone gets their turn in the order they arrived.
- Stability: It’s the only way to prevent the website from failing, which would make it impossible for anyone to book.
Common Questions & Frustrations (Please Read!)
This is the most important section of the guide. We want to be completely transparent about some of the common (and frustrating) situations that can occur.
“I was waiting on the page before the queue started. Why did I get a high number?”
This is a key point of confusion. If you arrive before the official start time, you are placed in a “pre-queue” holding area. The moment the sale goes live, everyone in that holding area is assigned a random spot in the queue.
This is the fairest way to handle things, as it doesn’t give an advantage to people who have been able to camp on the page for hours. Arriving 10 minutes early gives you the same chance as someone who arrived 2 hours early. Anyone who arrives after the sale has started will be placed at the back of the line in the order they arrive.
“Help! My queue position suddenly got worse!”
Your position in the queue is tied to that unique “digital ticket” in your browser. If that ticket is lost, the system has to issue you a new one at the back of the line. This is the only way to be fair to everyone else.
Here are the most common reasons you might lose your spot:
- Your Device Goes to Sleep: This is the biggest culprit. If your phone screen locks or your computer goes into sleep mode, your internet connection can be interrupted.
- Switching Networks: Moving from Wi-Fi to mobile data will break the connection.
- Using Multiple Devices or Tabs: Stick to a single browser tab on a single device.
- Refreshing the Page Too Often: The page updates automatically. Please be patient!
- Closing the Browser Tab: If you accidentally close the tab, your spot is gone for good.
“I got through, but it was already sold out!”
This is heartbreaking, we know. Please remember that getting through the queue only grants you access to the booking page; it does not hold or reserve a slot for you. Bookings happen incredibly fast. It is entirely possible for the last available slot to be claimed by the person just ahead of you, moments before it’s your turn.
“A slot reappeared after being sold out!”
You’re not seeing things! When someone adds a slot to their cart, it is temporarily held for them. However, our team manually reviews any carts that have been inactive for over 15 minutes. To give other customers a fair chance, we then release these “abandoned” slots back into the available pool. This means a slot can reappear after it initially looked like it was gone, so it can be worth staying on the booking page for a few minutes if you get through.
“The queue closed while I was still waiting. What happened?”
Our team actively monitors the booking progress in real-time. To respect your time, we manually close the waiting room once we can verify that all, or nearly all, of the booking slots have been taken. Sometimes, we may close the queue even when a handful of slots are left. We do this to prevent a situation where hundreds of people are still waiting for only one or two remaining spots, which almost guarantees disappointment for everyone still in line.
“I bought another item and lost my queue spot. Why?”
This is a tricky but important one. Our waiting room system is designed to track when a successful purchase is made. If you are in the queue for a high-demand item but navigate away and complete a purchase for something else, the system sees you have reached a checkout confirmation page. It assumes your visit is complete and your queue ‘ticket’ is therefore ‘used up’. To be safe, if you are waiting for a specific booking, we strongly advise against browsing or buying other items until your high-demand booking is finalised.
Your Booking Day Checklist for Success
To give yourself the best chance, we highly recommend running through this checklist just before the booking slots go live.
- Use a Stable Connection: A computer connected directly to your router is best, but strong, stable Wi-Fi is also great.
- Disable Sleep Mode: Temporarily change your computer or phone’s settings to prevent the screen from locking or going to sleep. This is the single most important tip!
- Stick to One Device and One Tab: Don’t be tempted to hedge your bets.
- Have Payment Details Ready: To avoid payment issues, have your card details ready to copy and paste, or be logged into your payment provider beforehand.
We know that booking can be a stressful experience, and we are so grateful for your patience and understanding. We hope this guide helps clarify how the system works and empowers you for the next release.
We can’t wait to welcome you!